


It Will Always Be Worthy

by Anki_Shai



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: A little bit off canon, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, M/M, Spoilers, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-07
Updated: 2014-11-07
Packaged: 2018-02-24 10:51:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2578910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anki_Shai/pseuds/Anki_Shai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the end of all things, Tauriel, Bilbo and Thranduil have an honest talk about the people they loved and will always love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Will Always Be Worthy

**Author's Note:**

> I just watched the final Trailer for The Hobbit The Battle of the Five Armies and I just have to write this. Spoilers if you haven't seen the trailer or even read the book.

“Was it worth it?”

The question caught her by surprised her hand closed tightly around the black talisman her tears rolling down her cheeks. Beside her, a small figured shifted slowly, his eyes lifted to watch the approaching King; all three of them were wearing the same tired and heartbroken expression.

Bilbo observed with care the facial expressions of the Elven-King, his grey eyes looked tired and the lines on his face were marked in a way that made him look tired. It wasn’t until the King stood side by side with them Tauriel dared to lift her face.

“Was it worth it?” The Kind repeated his question but there wasn’t any animosity behind his voice; there was only sadness and emptiness. 

Tauriel remembered the innocence and the love behind those eyes, Kíli had looked at her the way she had never been seen. Her mind brought to her the memory of his smile, his words when he was in agony, both times. The Captain pursed her lips as she tried to remember the broken promise and the last declaration, she tried to forget how her own heart broke when Kíli, son of Durín, closed his eyes to the world with her name on his lips.

Was it worthy? Tauriel would love to have a chance to show everyone it was worthy. She would love to have the chance to touch him, kiss him and tell him a part of her was already loving him and, given enough time, her heart would have been his.

Tauriel clenched her jaw looking directly into her King’s eyes, “It will always be worth it.”

Thranduil slumped his shoulders looking longingly at the Lonely Mountain, Tauriel couldn’t understand why her King was there asking such a question. She just stared at him feeling a growing darkness consume her heart, just as a sense of _loneliness_ opened a hole in her heart. Everything had been lost in the battle. The young and the old. War had taken away the glimpses of light she had never thought possible. Bilbo from his part was watching Thranduil, his own heart was longing for the lost opportunities and for the multiple ‘what ifs’ filling his mind, but there was something…there was something behind Thranduil’s eyes Bilbo only understood right there and then.

“Did you love him?” The question reached his mouth before he could stop it; Bilbo opened his eyes shocked at his own audacity.

Thranduil tensed lifting his chin with his attention firmly grasped by the mountain. Tauriel burrowed her brows in confusion, she looked from Bilbo to Thranduil then at the mountain.

“I did.” Thranduil finally answered turning around to face Tauriel and Bilbo.

Bilbo gave the King a half, bitter smirk nodding his head, “I thought so.”

“You have keen eyes, Master Baggins.” Thranduil replied and Bilbo couldn’t help but remember those same words coming from another King.

“He loved you as well.” Bilbo said, little by little Tauriel understood who they were talking about. She gave Thranduil an incredulous glance, the Elven-King  felt his eyes filled with unshed tears and for the first time Tauriel saw the real Thranduil, the elf she had seen when she was but an orphan kid after having lost her parents to the evils of the world.

“He did not.” There was so much pain behind those words, Tauriel had never thought it possible for Thranduil to sound defeated, tired…miserable.

Pride and arrogance were two things she had come to associate with Thranduil, he was a firm yet just King. His love for Legolas would make him overprotective to the point he was ready to kill for his son. Tauriel had seen the best and the worst of Thranduil and yet…she had never seen this broken soul.

He had loved but never been loved.

He had loved and lost everything.

“He did, you don’t speak about someone you hate the way Thorin spoke about you.” Bilbo gulped cleaning away his tears. “I’m envious of you, King Thranduil. He really did love you, even if at the end it wasn’t enough.”

“He chose you.” Thranduil replied.

Bilbo opened his mouth but even then the Hobbit couldn’t deny the truth behind those words. Just before closing his eyes to the world, Thorin had chosen Bilbo over Thranduil, Bilbo had been the last to see Thorin alive. Thranduil smiled nodding briefly to Bilbo.

And Tauriel understood, right there and then, she understood and sympathy grew inside her for her King, her adoptive father. Tauriel lifted her eyes when she felt a warm hand under her chin, she stared directly into Thranduil’s grey ones and knew Thranduil was sorry for all that had happened between them. It had hurt her, in ways not many could understand, but Tauriel understood, even if she wasn’t ready to forgive just yet.

“It was never my intention to hurt you.” He whispered and it was the closest thing she would get to an apology.

“I know.”

Thranduil took a step back, he turned around but Tauriel’s words made him stop.

“Was it worth it?”

Thranduil glanced back at the mountain, his hand closed tightly around the only thing left to him by Thorin. The only memory he had of him, a single ring. The ring of a Prince of the Dwarves, a Son of Durin. Thranduil glanced at the ring made of silver and black diamond.

Was it worth it? The suffering, the misunderstanding, the pride and arrogance, the laughs, the sneaky glances, the hidden touches, the heated kisses…the silent declarations…

“It will always be worth it.” Thranduil answered before leaving, his tears falling only for the Lonely Mountain to see them.

 

 

 


End file.
